Stay With Me
by Mysterious Lynx
Summary: Claire and Gray have been in a relationship for two years. One argument tears them apart, and Claire isn't seen again. Gray finds her years later, but she doesn't remember him. She has to be kidding, right? It was actually something much bigger than that.
1. Memories

**I've had this idea in my mind for weeks, and just had to write it down. And so, I proudly present, Stay With Me! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure you all know that I don't, and never will, own Harvest Moon or its characters. But I do own this story! **

_"Come on! I know you can run faster than that! We're almost there!" I laughed, urging the blacksmith to run faster. _

_For a blacksmith, he was really out of shape. Huffing and puffing, he finally caught up to where I was standing patiently._

_"Are you asking for me to faint, woman? What is this 'special place' anyway?" He managed to wheeze out once he caught a portion of his lost breath._

_"Just look!" _

_I pushed away some tree branches, revealing a beautiful meadow. Flowers of all shapes and sizes showered the ground with bright colors. The luscious green trees swayed slightly in the wind. A pond with sparkling blue water was placed not far from where we were. I looked over at Gray, who was struck with awe. It was a truly magnificent place._

_"How did you find this place?" He whispered softly._

_"Well, I was running around, trying to find Mochi, when I saw a path leading away from the main road. I decided to check it out, to see if she might be around, and after pushing away some branches, I found her. She was right there, just sipping some of the water." _

_"Wow..."_

_We spent the rest of the day chasing each other and admiring the beauty that was the meadow. When the sky started growing dark, Gray suggested that we start heading towards our houses._

_"Gray?" I asked, stopping in place._

_"Yes?" _

_"This will be our special place. Nobody will know of it, and we won't tell anybody. Promise me that."_

_He nodded, smiling widely when he answered,_

_"I promise." _

Gray was my very best friend. Through thick and thin, he would always stay by my side. When I just turned 18, he asked me out on a date. I can still remember it like it was yesterday...

_"Claire! Get over here!" Ann screeched._

_"What?" I asked irritably once I walked to where she was. _

_"We have to get something nice for you to wear!" _

_Ann was convinced that tonight would be a special night. She dragged me from place to place, grabbing anything that appealed to her for me, without asking if I liked it or not. And it was my birthday! In the end, she bought matching earrings and a necklace, which had lapis lazulis engraved in them. A turquoise dress went with the accessories, as well as black high heels. I think she went a little overboard._

_"Ok Ann, what's the big deal? Other than the fact that I will have a small party at the inn, there's nothing happening. So why did you buy all the stuff?" I inquired suspiciously._

_"You'll see." Was her only answer._

_I growled and went into the bathroom to change, for it was almost the time for the party to begin. After putting on the admittedly gorgeous clothes, I looked at myself in the mirror._

_'Not bad...' I thought._

_I applied some light makeup, because Goddess knows that Ann would start yelling if I didn't. Truthfully, I liked a more natural look, but I decided to humor her tonight._

_Walking down the stairs of the inn, I slowly looked up._

_"Surprise!" _

_I gasped loudly. Almost everyone in town was cramped in the small inn. Everyone except for Mary. I didn't expect her anyways..._

_One by one, the villagers came up to me, bombarding me with compliments and 'Happy Birthday!'s. I felt a light tap on my shoulder._

_"Hey birthday girl." Someone whispered into my ear. I turned, already knowing who it was._

_"Hey Gray." I answered back, smiling one of my brightest smiles. His face reddened and he started looking around. My eyebrows furrowed, wonder what was up._

_"What's wrong?" I asked softly._

_"Nothing. You... You look beautiful." _

_I started blushing as well. Did he say I look beautiful? I grinned widely once again and said,_

_"Thanks."_

_"Claire... Would you like to go to Mother Hill with me tomorrow for a picnic? As a... date?"_

_My heart started pounding against my chest. A date? With Gray? I've dreamed of this for years, and it was actually happening! Or was I just dreaming again? I looked around and caught sight of Ann, who was giving me two thumbs up. Inhaling deeply, I came to my decision._

_"I would love to Gray."_

And so started our relationship. Somehow, I knew we would always be together, and if fate were to bring us apart, we wouldn't forget each other, and somehow find a way to be back together. Unfortunately, so was not the case. For two long years we dated, and we were happy. Until one rainy night that I found Gray...

_I was walking towards my destination, the bar. Gray was nowhere to be seen all day, and it was starting to get me worried. Every day, we met each other at either my house, or at the Blacksmith's. He never came to my house, so when Saibara told me he hadn't seen him since the day before, I set out to look for him. _

_I was measling along, trying to cover my head from the pouring rain, when I caught the slightest glimpse of orange. I turned in the direction of the color, and there was Gray, his back turned to me. My heart leapt with joy at the sight of my boyfriend. Just as I was about to call his name, I heard him murmur something._

_"Mary..."_

_It was only then that I took notice of the petite librarian. And what I noticed made my heart break into little bits and pieces. Her head was laying peacefully on his chest, her small arms wrapped carefully around his waist. Gray seemed to be hugging her as well, but I couldn't really tell because of the dark sky and pelting rain. But what really shocked me was what came out of Mary's mouth:_

_"I love you, Gray."_

_I gasped loudly, causing Gray to quickly push her away and turn to me. Horror was written all over his face._

_"C-Claire, wait-"_

_"Don't ever speak to me again!" I yelled furiously, my tears mixing with the raindrops. _

_I ran away from that place. That horrifying place. My feet pounded against the path leading towards my farm. _

_'I can't stay here anymore.' I thought to myself. As long as Gray was here, I could never stay. And it's all because I love him. _

_Bursting through the door, I slammed it shut, startling my loyal dog, Mochi. Quickly grabbing my suitcase that was stashed safely in the closet, I yanked it open and threw in all my belongings. _

_Mochi yipped and barked, probably wondering what the heck was going on. I ignored her, and soon enough, I was ready to leave. Picking up Mochi, I threw a raincoat on top of us and headed out the door. I didn't bother leaving a note or some kind of sign that would let the villagers know that I was leaving and I was alright. It didn't even cross my mind. Nobody would know what happened. Except for Mary and Gray._

_I made my way to the dock, fully aware of the choice that I was making. And right now, I didn't regret it one bit. Nope. I didn't regret the fact that I would be leaving everything I have ever known. Didn't regret that I would be leaving my best friends and my true love. Why? Because it didn't cross my mind. Nothing did at the moment. _

_I knew Ann would most likely find me and kill me and that Kai and Popuri would be more than a little depressed. But I also knew, I had to do this. So when the captain asked where I was headed, I simply answered,_

_"Take me to the city."_

**Well, how was it? Good, bad, okay? Tell me in your reviews! And for those of you who have been reading A Potion Gone Wrong, I'm here to say that it is currently on hiatus. I don't know what to write for the next chapter, and I'm not getting many reviews. One of them is from my friend, so that doesn't count. I also wanted to let you guys know that I have a poll in my profile. Check it out and vote please! This is Mysterious Lynx signing out...**


	2. Story of My Life

**Hey guys, I'm back! Minor setback in updating with some family issues, but I pulled through! I hope you like this chapter!**

_"Claire..."_

Three years. It had been three years since the night he had lost his beloved. He still couldn't believe that he lost her so easily. And for what? Mary. It was all because of Mary. But... Claire had to know he only had eyes for her, right? No, if she did, he wouldn't be in this situation, would he?

Every night before he went to sleep, he prayed to the Harvest Goddess to let this all be a dream or some kind of sick joke. His prayers were never answered. With each passing day, he grew more and more weary. The small ounce of hope left in his heart diminished into nothing. One day, he had had enough of this nonsense. It was time to take action.

* * *

"Gray Kramer? Your tickets are ready."

Gray looked up slowly from his seat and was met with the face of an attendant. She smiled softly and handed him said tickets. Briefly nodding, he stood up and marched his way over to the awaiting ship.

"This is it..." Gray whispered to himself.

It was just a hunch, but knowing Claire, she probably fled to the nearest city. If he was lucky enough, he would find Claire and bring her back. But that was like asking for a miracle itself.

Walking down the plank, Gray took in his surroundings slowly. The sidewalks were packed with people on their cellphones, holding a suitcase, or even trying to balance their laptop and walk at the same time through the crowd. Roads were filled with cars honking at each other. Foul words were exchanged from time to time. The city really was something...

The first thing to do was find a shelter. A house would be nice, since he was probably going to stay for a long time. But, with the amount of money in his wallet, an apartment would have to suffice. And a cheap one at that.

Soon enough, Gray found a nicely priced apartment. The room was medium sized and by the looks of it, sanitary. He quickly unpacked his belongings and made himself comfortable on the bed, for he was in need of a nap.

* * *

Gray woke up with a jolt. He had that nightmare again. The one where Claire was leaving. He sighed heavily and looked at the small clock on the table, which read 5:42 P.M.

Resting his hands over his face, he thought deeply. He remembered Claire saying she wanted to be a nurse before starting the farm. Hospitals would be the first place he would look. Nodding to himself, he got dressed, and with his head held high, confidently walked out of the apartment doors.

* * *

**Clarissa's POV**

_I slowly walked out of my office after a long day of work. Hailing a taxi cab, I instructed the driver to take me to my apartment's address. _

_City lights and cars became a blur as we zoomed through the streets. At a stop light, I looked out the window, only to see a mother and daughter chattering excitedly and holding hands. I sighed wistfully and tore my gaze away from the loving scene. What I wouldn't give to know my family. To know who my friends were and where I lived. But, I guess every wish doesn't come true..._

_The cab slowly hauled itself to a stop. I thanked the man and gave him his earned money. He tipped his hat and sped off. I watched the cab move farther into the distance, then turned around and walked into the lobby. Walking into the elevator doors, I politely greeted a woman inside and waited for to reach my floor. _

_Upon reaching my room, I found my friend sitting next to the door, an indignant look on her face. I paused for a second and stared at her face. Something about that expression looked familiar. She rarely had that expression, so I never had time to notice. But now... it looked so much like something I was so used to. I shook my head and continued walking. It seems she didn't notice my weird behavior. _

_"Hi Rose," I greeted softly._

_"Clarissa! I've been waiting for you for over an hour! Where have you been?" She exclaimed as she jumped up from her sitting position._

_"Work. Ever heard of it?" _

_She scoffed, and made herself welcome in my apartment. _

Rose was my best friend. Actually, she was my only friend there. We met the day after I got out of the hospital, at a small cafe. She was the one to help me get on track in my time of need. I could never repay her enough for all she's done.

_As we walked inside my apartment, she started talking about her day and how it went. Her red curls bounced as she moved her head up and down, recalling the events. I listened obediently while trying to look for a delivery menu of some sort. Lifting my hand to silence her, I asked if she was okay with chinese food. She nodded excitedly and continued on with her story. _

_I don't remember there ever being a time when she was able to be quiet for at least ten minutes. I, however, was the complete opposite to her. I kept to myself and only spoke when necessary. In other words, I was the listener while she was the talker. _

_The food came around twenty minutes later, and we started eating in silence. That is, until Rose asked me about my day. I told her the same answer that I've been telling her for the past three years. It was ok. She nodded thoughtfully and asked me a different question. _

_"Do you remember anything?"_

_I thought back to when I saw her indignant expression. She probably wouldn't take it as important, though._

_"...No." _

_I couldn't say I hated or disliked my life. I couldn't really say I liked it either, though. It was a pain in the neck. But I had Rose supporting me. And that's all I would need. Wasn't it?_

* * *

**Gray's POV**

_Two weeks had passed and I couldn't find hide nor hair of Claire. I didn't expect it either. But I wasn't a patient man. The stress was starting to build up on me. I knew I couldn't give up but... I really needed a drink. _

_I hurried over to the nearest bar, and welcomed the familiar sight. It wasn't right, and Claire would frown down upon me. At that thought I stopped in my tracks. What was I doing? _

_Furrowing my brow, I sighed heavily and turned around. Just as I was opening the door, I bumped into someone. _

_"I'm sorry, I-" _

_I paused and stared. It was rude, but I couldn't help it. Under all that makeup, something seemed familiar. Something... And then our eyes met. My heart stopped and my eyes widened. I could've sworn I was legally dead for five seconds. But that didn't matter. The girl who was staring at me like I was crazy..._

"Claire..."

**So how was it? This is probably the longest chapter I have written. Yes, there are some empty spaces in the story, but it adds to the mystery! Those spaces will be filled! And once again, thank you for all the amazing reviews! You guys are awesome! This is Mysterious Lynx signing out...**


	3. The Encounter

**Uhh... This is awkward. Well, I'm back! I have the next two chapters ready, so I should be posting them fairly soon. I've actually had this chapter written for the longest time, but I was always too busy or too tired to type it up. But it's summer so I should be updating consistently. However, when school starts again, I probably won't be on fanfiction for a while. It's going to be a busy school year for me! Anyways, I hope you like the chapter!**

* * *

**Clarissa's P.O.V.**

"You need a break!" Rose shouts above me. I groan into my pillow and look up at her with unamused eyes.

"I _need_ to sleep," I mumble back. I've been taking all of the open shifts at the restaurant I work at. Rose thinks it's because I need the money, when honestly, I just need something to keep me distracted.

I feel something tugging on my arm. That tug becomes a strong pull, but I am staying on this bed, or so goddess help me.

"Come on! You need to get up!" Rose exclaims between pulls. Finally, I give up, seeing as how she doesn't plan on stopping until she gets her way.

I stand upright and glare at her. She bravely keeps the eye contact, but as my glare becomes fiercer, she starts squirming. Turning away, she throws her hands up in defeat as she innocently says,

"Okay, I get it. I just thought that you might want to get out and have some fun, what with the extra hours you've been working. But if you don't, you know, I... I understand." With one last look, she slowly starts to walk out of my room.

Well... I guess I can use the relaxation. And it would be nice to get out of the apartment. Besides, she only means well. I sigh exasperatedly, and before she steps out of the room, I say,

"Alright. You've convinced me. Where to?"

"I knew it! But first, we need to get you dressed up!" she giggles. I smile and nod an agreement.

* * *

I don't know why I ever agreed to this. My eyes are wide and my face is twisted into a shocked expression. Rose, on the other hand, claps excitedly.

"So? How did I do?" she questions with a wide grin. I try hiding a grimace as I say,

"You applied way too much makeup... I look like some kind of clown! I said only a little bit!" I was exaggerating, of course, but she honestly did put on more makeup than I would have liked.

"Well, I tried," she stated with a shrug.

I don't even bother taking off the makeup. Maybe when I come home later tonight, it will have disappeared... I hope.

* * *

An hour later, we step out of our taxi cab, which had stopped in front of a bar. My nose wrinkles, and I look at Rose, asking,

"This is your idea of fun?"

"We'll have a good time! Now, let's go!"

Just as I start opening the door to the bar, it opens for me. The force of the door opening makes me fall to the ground with a soft thud. I look up, and straight into the oddly familiar eyes of the man.

_"Don't ever talk to me again! ...I can't stay here anymore... Come on, Mochi. We're leaving... Take me to the city..."_

A series of echoes runs through my mind. What's happening? I hold my head with both hands, as if that would help the sudden headache pounding against my forehead. Rose seems to sense my distress, and comes to the rescue. She steps in front of me and starts speaking to the man.

"I'm sorry about that. We'll be leaving now. Please excuse us." She grabs my arm and gently lifts me up.

The man won't have anything of it. He roughly grabs my other arm and holds tight.

"No, Claire. You aren't getting away from me again that easily! We have things to discuss."

"E-Excuse me? My name isn't Claire... Will you please let go of me?" I ask politely, but sternly. This man clearly needs help.

He scowls and pulls me closer to him. That movement makes Rose lose her grip on my other arm, but at this point, she's just shocked by the spectacle.

"You aren't fooling me, Claire! Do you think I'm that stupid? You are coming with me right now."

Some kind of emotion flares up inside of me, and I suddenly become furious. I tear my arm away from his grasp and glare harshly. He seems shocked in my sudden turn in attitude.

"Who do you think you are? For the last time, my name is not Claire! I don't know who you are or where you came from, but I'm not the girl you're looking for. Goodbye, sir."

I strut my way over to the sidewalk to hail a cab. I've had enough of this day.

* * *

**Gray's P.O.V.**

I had actually started to think that I had mistaken Claire for someone else. But the moment that her voice grew an octave higher, I knew that I had the right girl. Claire's voice would always grow higher when she was upset.

But now, I lost her again. She already seemed to get a cab and is making herself comfortable inside. Why is Claire acting like she doesn't know me? Sure, being mad about what happened in the past was one thing. But pretending to not know me is a completely different situation.

"Rose! Let's go!" she shouts from the cab. Her face is impatient and hurried from our encounter.

Her friend is still here, standing in front of me. She sighs and looks through her purse for something. Pulling out a pen and paper, she scribbles down something and hands the piece of paper over to me.

"We need to talk about this. Call me when you can, and I'll tell you what you want to know," she says.

And just like that, she jumps into the cab, and it pulls away from the sidewalk as it rushes down the street.

I look down at the paper, which I discover contains her cellphone number. Smiling a little to myself, I think,

'Maybe there's still hope...'

* * *

**Well, I hope you liked it! Send in some reviews, and I'll get the next chapter going by next week. Maybe... If I'm not in too much pain... I am not looking forward to this weekend. Anyways, thanks for your earlier reviews, and I hope to update soon! :) xx**


	4. Explanation

Alright so I know it's been a while, but I do have an explanation for my absence. For the remainder of the year when I last updated, I had gone into high school and was very occupied trying get a hold of my surroundings. I was put under a certain amount of pressure to make certain grades, so I focused mostly on studying. At the same time, I had lost my best friends due to them thinking that I was seeking popularity, and was lucky enough to have a group of amazing new friends at the same time it happened, but it still somewhat affected me. Then 2013 came along. It was a hellish year for me and to put things briefly, I had a lot of serious family problems. I recently found my outlet of stress in writing again and I realized that I miss writing stories and publishing them for you guys. So what I'm trying to get at is that if any of you are still out there and want me to update, then just drop in a review and I'll begin to slowly start updating again. I will definitely have to edit this story, which I plan on doing soon. If any of you guys are curious as to my current situation or just want to have a conversation, send me a PM and I'll answer as soon as I can! If I do get reviews saying that you guys want me to update, I will warn you that updates will be slow. I still have some family issues to deal with and my grades in school dropped a little this year due to these problems, so I'm going to begin focusing again on studying, with writing being my breaks in between. Thank you guys and I hope to talk to you all soon! :D


	5. Hope

**Well. Hi guys! So yeah, the plan that I had for updating this story about... six months ago? Obviously it didn't work out. If any of you read the author's note I put up all those months ago, you'll know that I was pretty overwhelmed. What I didn't expect was that things would get worse. I won't get into it because you're here for this story, so I'll try wrapping this up quickly. I'll admit I had this chapter sitting in my laptop for at least a year, and I have not edited it at all, instead trusting my slightly younger self to have done a decent job on it. My writing style has changed a bit, so next chapter (assuming I ever update again... kidding! Maybe.) should be a little different. Thank you Kacey for reminding me that I do still have stories to update! Bet you didn't think I'd actually update, huh? Anyways, thanks guys for being (kind of) patient and I hope you stick around for more!**

**Clarissa's POV**

"You need a break!" Rose shouts above me. I groan into my pillow and look up at her with unamused eyes.

"I _need_ to sleep," I mumble back. I've been taking all of the open shifts at the restaurant I work at. Rose thinks it's because I need the money, when honestly, I just need something to keep me distracted.

I feel something tugging on my arm. That tug becomes a strong pull, but I am staying on this bed, or so goddess help me.

"Come on! You need to get up!" Rose exclaims between pulls. Finally, I give up, seeing as how she doesn't plan on stopping until she gets her way.

I stand upright and glare at her. She bravely keeps the eye contact, but as my glare becomes fiercer, she starts squirming. Turning away, she throws her hands up in defeat as she innocently says,

"Okay, I get it. I just thought that you might want to get out and have some fun, what with the extra hours you've been working. But if you don't, you know, I... I understand." With one last look, she slowly starts to walk out of my room.

Well... I guess I can use the relaxation. And it would be nice to get out of the apartment. Besides, she only means well. I sigh exasperatedly, and before she steps out of the room, I say,

"Alright. You've convinced me. Where to?"

"I knew it! But first, we need to get you dressed up!" she giggles. I smile and nod an agreement.

I don't know why I ever agreed to this. My eyes are wide and my face is twisted into a shocked expression. Rose, on the other hand, claps excitedly.

"So? How did I do?" she questions with a wide grin. I try hiding a grimace as I say,

"You applied way too much makeup... I look like some kind of clown! I said only a little bit!" I was exaggerating, of course, but she honestly did put on more makeup than I would have liked.

"Well, I tried," she stated with a shrug.

I don't even bother taking off the makeup. Maybe when I come home later tonight, it will have disappeared... I hope.

An hour later, we step out of our taxi cab, which had stopped in front of a bar. My nose wrinkles, and I look at Rose, asking,

"This is your idea of fun?"

"We'll have a good time! Now, let's go!"

Just as I start opening the door to the bar, it opens for me. The force of the door opening makes me fall to the ground with a soft thud. I look up, and straight into the oddly familiar eyes of the man.

_"Don't ever talk to me again! ...I can't stay here anymore... Come on, Mochi. We're leaving... Take me to the city..."_

A series of echoes runs through my mind. What's happening? I hold my head with both hands, as if that would help the sudden headache pounding against my forehead. Rose seems to sense my distress, and comes to the rescue. She steps in front of me and starts speaking to the man.

"I'm sorry about that. We'll be leaving now. Please excuse us." She grabs my arm and gently lifts me up.

The man won't have anything of it. He roughly grabs my other arm and holds tight.

"No, Claire. You aren't getting away from me again that easily! We have things to discuss."

"E-Excuse me? My name isn't Claire... Will you please let go of me?" I ask politely, but sternly. This man clearly needs help.

He scowls and pulls me closer to him. That movement makes Rose lose her grip on my other arm, but at this point, she's just shocked by the spectacle.

"You aren't fooling me, Claire! Do you think I'm that stupid? You are coming with me right now."

Some kind of emotion flares up inside of me, and I suddenly become furious. I tear my arm away from his grasp and glare harshly. He seems shocked in my sudden turn in attitude.

"Who do you think you are? For the last time, my name is not Claire! I don't know who you are or where you came from, but I'm not the girl you're looking for. Goodbye, sir."

I strut my way over to the sidewalk to hail a cab. I've had enough of this day.

**Gray's POV**

I had actually started to think that I had mistaken Claire for someone else. But the moment that her voice grew an octave higher, I knew that I had the right girl. Claire's voice would always grow higher when she was upset.

But now, I lost her again. She already seemed to get a cab and is making herself comfortable inside. Why is Claire acting like she doesn't know me? Sure, being mad about what happened in the past was one thing. But pretending to not know me is a completely different situation.

"Rose! Let's go!" she shouts from the cab. Her face is impatient and hurried from our encounter.

Her friend is still here, standing in front of me. She sighs and looks through her purse for something. Pulling out a pen and paper, she scribbles down something and hands the piece of paper over to me.

"We need to talk about this. Call me when you can, and I'll tell you what you want to know," she says.

And just like that, she jumps into the cab, and it pulls away from the sidewalk as it rushes down the street.

I look down at the paper, which I discover contains her cellphone number. Smiling a little to myself, I think,

'Maybe there's still hope...'

**Alright so how was it? (Yes I know it was terrible, don't hate on my younger self) I wanted to get this chapter up while I was still thinking about it, and I didn't bother editing because I'm currently watching Captain America and sobbing at Bucky! So yeah, that's my excuse. Anyways, please review and message me any time any of you want to talk or if you have any questions about the story, my disappearance, etc. I'm open to anything! I hope to hear from you guys soon!**


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